Oct 27

Oct 27 Your complete guide to getting a good nights sleep

You might welcome knowing that one of the best things you can do to improve your physical and mental health isn’t onerous, laborious, complicated or exhausting. Quite the opposite in fact. (Unless, of course, you struggle to do it, in which case hopefully what follows will help.)

Because this magic thing that allows your body to function at its best and is an essential element of living as healthy a life as possible, is sleep.

How sleep does you good

A good night’s sleep will improve your attention and concentration.

It gives your brain time to organise and process all the information you’ve taken in during the day, converting short-term memories into long term ones.

It can help you maintain a healthy weight and allows your heart time to rest and recover, reducing your risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease or suffering a stroke.

It helps keep your immune system strong, reduces your stress levels and because, during deep sleep the body releases growth hormone and increases its production of proteins, it promotes cell growth and tissue repair.

See? Magic.

And all the more reason why you should try to get enough, good quality sleep each night. Studies come to different conclusions about how much is that actually is - a recent one suggested it was as little as 5 hours. But long-held wisdom is that around 7 hours is likely to be the optimum amount of shut-eye to keep you functioning at your best.

All of which, I realise, is easy to say (or, type) if you’re someone who falls asleep and stays that way all night without any problems. And a lot more challenging if you find getting to sleep, and staying that way, troublesome.

If you fall into that latter category - and there are likely to be times when most of us do for various reasons - here are some tips and techniques that can help you slip into that magically restorative slumber more easily.

Start with your surroundings

The practical set up of your bedroom has a surprising impact on your sleep quality and quantity.

Your bed

Of course, your bed is key to your sleep. So make sure it’s as comfortable as possible, with a mattress that suits your preferred level of firmness, pillows ditto and a duvet or bedding that helps you stay as warm or cool as you prefer. I’m sure you already do this, but wash your bedding regularly. It helps limit any potential build up of dust mites and other allergens which can cause irritation and disturb your sleep.

Your room

Do your best to limit any potential distractions that can impact on sleep quality. That’s light, sound, smell and temperature. A dark, quiet, pong-free bedroom will be one where you’re more likely to get the sleep you need. Eye masks and earplugs, turning off your phone and covering the light from digital clocks can help with the first two, a room spray or diffuser with the latter.

As for temperature, it’s been shown that fresh air is important, not only for sleep, but for your overall health too. Having good ventilation and some fresh air in a bedroom can contribute to a good night because it helps your body cool down which is what it needs to feel sleepy and stay that way. So try and sleep with a window open (even just a teeny bit in winter).

What to do during the day to get a good night’s sleep

Your daytime activities can have just as much impact on the quality and quantity of your sleep as your night time ones.

Wake up

Routine is the friend of sleep because it maintains your circadian rhythm (what we know as our body clock) and that’s responsible for keeping your sleep cycle, eating patterns and hormone production in check. So try to go to bed at around the same time each evening (see evening routine below) and set an alarm so you wake up at the same time each morning. You can have a lie in on Sunday. You’re welcome.

Get out

Your circadian rhythm also likes it when you get sunlight and fresh air, so attempt to get outside for some time each day and if the sun is shining, even better.

Move

You just know that I’m going to say that doing some sort of exercise each day is one of the ways to help you sleep better. So I am. Exercise also increases the production of endorphins (your lovely happy hormones), which can boost your mood and reduce stress. And we all know it’s easier to get to sleep if you aren’t feeling stressed at bedtime.

Drink (no, not that sort)

Give yourself a caffeine cut-off time. Clearly stimulants and sleep do not good bed-fellows make, so avoid anything with caffeine in it from mid-afternoon onwards to give your body the best chance of restful slumber.

And I know I said this wasn’t about alcohol but that isn’t all that marvellous for your sleep quality either. So if you’re having a tricky time with sleeping, you might want to try and cut down or avoid alcohol in the evening for a while and see if that helps.

Adjust your evening routine

Preparing your body for sleep, both physically and mentally, is going to help you to optimise your chances of a restoratively restful night.

Step away from your devices

Electronic devices, and that includes your TV, emit a lot of blue light which tricks your brain into thinking it’s day time. So switching them off, at least half an hour, ideally longer, before you head to bed needs to be the first step in your bedtime routine.

Eat - a bit

Avoid having a big meal or anything too heavy to eat close to bedtime. A light snack is fine and can head those midnight munchies off at the pass. Just don’t overload your body with too much to digest before you hit the sack.

Do something soothing

Winding down mechanisms will be different for everybody. Whether it’s a warm bath, a hot drink (un-caffinated of course), listening to music or an audio-book, stretching, meditating or reading (my personal favourite) do that to get yourself in the right mood and mode for sleep.

Drain your brain

This is something I was unconvinced about until I tried it. If you’re someone whose brain immediately switches into high gear the minute your head hits the pillow (welcome to my world), then spending a minute or two before you turn off the light jotting down any thoughts, or a to-do list for tomorrow, is a surprisingly effective way to put the brake on that brain busyness.

If doing all that still isn’t rewarding you with the restful sleep you need, technology could come to your rescue. There are so many different sleep apps to try it can be the opposite of restful trying to work out which one is best for you. THIS USEFUL LIST on the excellent RESTLESS WEBSITE will help.

Normally I would say I hope a blog of mine hasn’t sent you to sleep, but in this case….I rather hope it has!